Girl in the the Cat Hat

I took the kids for a walk this afternoon—when it was 54°F (12°C) outside—to get some wiggles out before the big storm hits us. We've been digging around to find some winter gear (which we haven't really used yet this season) and Phoebe requested that I help her find a "cute" hat to wear, perhaps something with an animal on it, like a cat or a dog. 

And I was like, "I have just the thing!"

I dug around and produced a purple cat hat—and a pair of matching purple gloves with paws on them—that has been in the family for years.

"Where did you get these?!" Phoebe squealed. "Did someone make them for me?"

"Well, Naanii sent them..."

"For me?!"

"Well, for Miriam when she was a little girl..."

"I am so glad she sent these for Miriam so long ago that they fit me now instead of her!" Phoebe gushed.

She's basically the luckiest girl on the planet and insisted on wearing them on our walk, along with her heavy coat. She was melting by the time we were approaching the house. But this gear is sure to come in hand a little later on this weekend.

I'm not sure when my mom gave these to us, precisely. I remember using them in Durham a lot, but I also have pictures of us using them in Utah before moving to Durham, so maybe Naanii hand-delivered them to us. I can't even remember!

Miriam, 2013

But here is a little listicle of the hat in action (or the bear hat, its corollary):

Zoë in the bear hat, Spanish Fork, UT (2019)
Zoë in the cat hat, Spanish Fork, UT (2017)
Benjamin in the bear hat, Beech Mountain, NC (2016)

Benjamin in the cat hat, visiting Naanii and Bumpa in Orem, UT (2015)

Benjamin in the bear hat, Durham, NC (2015)
Miriam in the cat hat, Durham, NC (2014)

Rachel in the bear hat, Durham, NC (2014)
Miriam in the cat hat, Durham, NC (2013)
Rachel in the bear hat, Miriam in the cat hat, Orem, UT (2012)
Rachel in the bear hat, Miriam in the cat hat, Orem, UT (2012)

(Where is Alexander in this list? I couldn't find any pictures of him wearing this hat. I think the issue is that he lived here when he was old enough to wear that hat and...it either wasn't really his jam and/or it simply wasn't very cold when he was the age when he would have loved to wear it. We had a few years where we didn't really get any snow to speak of when we first moved out here. Perhaps we'll have to take a picture of him wearing the hat just for the sake of.)

Zoë, 2017 (we are getting some good mileage out of this coat...and those sweat pants, too)

Benjamin, 2015

I'm sure there are other pictures of the hat being used—it's been in rotation for a long time and is still bringing joy to my kids!

We have a big ice storm on its way and we're preparing like southerners, knowing this is going to shut down the whole area for a least a little while. Like I said, we haven't seen a drop or flake of liquid come from the sky—and it was quite warm today—but in the anticipation of precipitation we have:

• cancelled church on Sunday (stake-wide)
• cancelled in-person classes on Monday (UGA)

Now, this storm is predicted to be a doozy, so I'm happy to take a few precautions and cancelling church makes sense, I guess, since we're supposed to get the brunt of it in the wee hours on Saturday morning. But I do have to admit that closures for weather still feel funny to me (and I understand it is ice and not snow). We went shopping, we have some extra water, we're charging things...and should probably check on our fuel supply for our generator.

We have a few more things to do to prepare tomorrow. I'm going to print out some articles so I can read them on paper rather than on my iPad...and so on...

Oh! Rosie had her baby! It's a boy! He is darling! 

The delivery went smoothly—her best and easiest one yet. She didn't almost die this time, so...I mean...that's always a plus (her last two deliveries were rough). And because she and Dean are doing so well they're sending them home ahead of the storm so the whole family can be together. 

He was just born yesterday, so she was in the hospital for about 24 hours after his birth. 

But I think she'll appreciate being home with her girls, rather than being stuck in a hospital across town. 

Austin's mom is there to help. She flew out early because Rosie's been plagued with kidney stones, which she's been passing this past week...in addition to having a baby...so Austin's mom came out early to watch the girls while Rosie was doing kidney stone stuff (she was hospitalized a few times while they tried to get it to move, etc). 

So Rosie's been having a blast. 

Anyway, I'm glad she'll be home ahead of the storm, and I'm glad she and Austin have an extra pair of hands while they get adjusted to having three kids. 

And...we'll see how this storm goes!